This invention relates to a glare shielding assembly for use with an automobile or other motorized vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to an assembly which is secured above the windshield inside an automobile, for shielding the driver's eyes from bright sunlight during daytime driving as well as reducing blinding glare of oncoming headlights during nighttime driving.
As the sun rises or sets, it is positioned low in the sky--just above the horizon. At these times, driving an automobile toward the bright sunlight can be a difficult and unpleasant endeavor. In addition to the arduous demand of driving, the driver's constant struggle with glare and lack of road visibility may interfere with the driver's performance behind the wheel making the ride relatively unsafe for the driver and passengers. A struggle with glare is not only encountered during daytime but the visual difficulty is also experienced by many drivers during nighttime driving.
At night due to the relative darkness, the eyes becoming more sensitive to light, especially to oncoming headlights which can have a blinding glare effect. Thus, it is desirable to have a device that can shield the eyes of the driver from bright sunlight as well as the blinding glare of oncoming headlights so that the driver can concentrate on driving, without any visual interference.
Various references uncovered in the prior art provide devices which are secured above the windshield and utilized for the purpose of blocking sunrays to ensure the comfort and safety of the drivers and passengers. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,000,506 to Abu-Shumays discloses sun shades for automobiles which are capable of independently and simultaneously covering top adjacent parts of a windshield and a side window. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,866 to Cody discloses an automobile sun screen comprising a flexible shade member mounted in a furled orientation about an upper axle within a compartment, with a drive motor to effect furling mounted to the upper axle and a further drive motor mounted to a lower axle to effect unfurling of the screen. U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,899 to Chu discloses a collapsible visor including a plurality of interconnected panels which fold on one another in an accordion-like fashion for collapsing the visor into a compartment mounted within a vehicle headliner.
Despite all these sunray-blocking devices, there is still a further need to provide an improved glare shielding assembly. Such a glare shielding assembly should protect the driver's eyes from blinding glare so that the driver can concentrate on driving without struggling with the glare. Moreover, such a glare shielding assembly should incorporate a first glare-reducing panel treated with suitable tint coatings which most effectively lessens the glaring rays of the sun without sacrificing visibility, and a second glare-reducing panel treated with suitable antireflective coatings which afford the clearest nighttime driving vision by effectively reducing glare from oncoming headlights.
While these units mentioned above may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.